Judith Benavidez

The meeting proceedings commenced with a roll call, followed by the discussion and approval of the minutes from the December 3, 2025 meeting. The primary agenda item involved a presentation from the Centers for Healthcare Services by a licensed counselor, Nick Ray. The presentation detailed the presentation's objectives, which included understanding the reasons behind the work focusing on social media and technology use related to mental health. The presenter shared personal anecdotes illustrating the impact of undetected mental health struggles in students and discussed alarming statistics regarding teen suicide rates in Bear County, noting it is the highest in Texas and the second leading cause of death for ages 10 to 24. Key contributing factors discussed included high academic competition (STAR testing stress), exposure to online violence, lack of familial support for suicidal thoughts, and the pervasive negative impacts of social media, such as cyberbullying, sextortion, and FOMO, which contribute to anxiety and depression.

The School Health Advisor Council meeting included discussions and presentations on topics provided by The Center for Health Services and the EISD Director of Child Nutrition. There were no communications from citizens during this session.

The meeting focused primarily on Action Item 8: consideration and approval of enrollment allocations for pre-kindergarten students. Discussions detailed the different pre-kindergarten programs, including those serving high-poverty areas and residence-restricted programs. The board addressed requirements regarding tuition for non-qualifying employees' children, noting that a sliding scale based on income and household size would be used for tuition assessment. The presentation emphasized that legally qualified students must receive free pre-K. The discussion also touched upon the program serving as an innovation tool to capture students and build relationships for future program marketing and recruitment. The action item regarding enrollment allocations was ultimately approved.

This document is a transcript of the 2023 Convocation for Edgewood Independent School District. It features messages from the School Board President and Superintendent, focusing on fostering a 'community of Champions' through student success, leadership development, and staff support. Key themes include ensuring students graduate college, career, and military ready, enhancing campus ratings (with a goal of 16 A/B rated campuses by 2028), and valuing the contributions of all staff members as 'teachers' in their respective roles. The convocation emphasizes intentionality, accountability, communication, and the district's social justice heritage.

The meeting focused on Board Performance Planning in preparation for the upcoming budget adoption on June 6th. Key discussion points included reviewing the board's responsibility to adopt the budget at the fund function level by June 30th, and analyzing general fund revenue projections based on an estimated 14% increase in property values, totaling approximately $2.6 billion. Tax rate discussions covered anticipated rates for Maintenance & Operations (M&O) and Interest & Sinking (INS), noting a potential decrease in the overall rate due to tax compression and bond refunding savings. Child Nutrition budget review indicated a balanced budget, though discussions covered required expenditures for equipment (refrigerators) and USDA compliance for fund spending above $5,000. Staffing challenges were highlighted, including the need to adjust budgeted vacant positions due to difficulties filling roles and competitive pressure from neighboring districts raising minimum hourly wages (up to $16 per hour). Furthermore, strategic financial decisions related to capital projects, such as moving HVAC Chiller project funding from ESSER to local funds to capture approximately $700,000 in indirect costs, were discussed. The potential impact of pending legislative actions, including proposed school finance changes, on future revenue was noted as a risk.